Games Like Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition

LOSE YOUR MIND. EAT YOUR CREW. DIE. Take the helm of your steamship and set sail for the unknown! Sunless Sea is a game of discovery, loneliness and frequent death, set in the award-winning Victorian Gothic universe of Fallen London.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 32%, Steampunk 20.7% ★, Exploration 8.2%, Survival 7.4%, Story Rich 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: As the direct predecessor, it offers the same haunting atmosphere, maritime survival mechanics, and exquisite prose.

Explore the House, a parasite dimension that steals from other worlds, in a train that scuttles on mechanical legs.

Why similar: Steampunk 36% ★, Lovecraftian 32%, Exploration 6.6%, Story Rich 6.4%, RPG 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game shares the same DNA as Sunless Skies, focusing on exploration, surreal lore, and difficult narrative choices.

DREDGE is a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your boat, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Explore a mysterious archipelago and discover why some things are best left forgotten.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 58%, Exploration 16.1%, RPG 7%, Atmospheric 6.3%, Story Rich 5.2%

Why You'll Like It: It perfectly blends Lovecraftian horror with naval exploration and resource management in a mysterious, isolated setting.

Seize forbidden treasures. Summon alien gods. Feed on your disciples. Cultist Simulator is a game of apocalypse and yearning. Play as a seeker after unholy mysteries, in a 1920s-themed setting of hidden gods and secret histories.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 57.3%, Roguelike 14%, RPG 10.4%, Story Rich 10%, Choices Matter 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: Created by the same lead designer, it captures the cryptic, occult, and lore-heavy atmosphere of the Fallen London universe.

Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism. Live the life of an escaped worker, washed-up on a lawless station at the edge of an interstellar society. Inspired by the flexibility and freedom of TTRPGs, explore the station, choose your friends, escape your past and change your future.

Why similar: Space 21.7%, Story Rich 19.3%, RPG 19.2%, Exploration 17.5%, Atmospheric 11.7%

Why You'll Like It: This game excels at narrative-driven RPG mechanics, focusing on survival and personal stories within a decaying, atmospheric sci-fi setting.

Pathologic 2 is a groundbreaking open-world horror RPG. Resist the plague. Make medicine. Heal people. Perform an autopsy. Trade to get what you need. Fight and kill if necessary. Survive. Struggle with an outbreak in a secluded rural town that is rapidly turning into hell.

Why similar: Survival 19.1%, Story Rich 18%, RPG 14.3%, Choices Matter 14.2%, Atmospheric 12.6%

Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in oppressive atmosphere and survival, where every choice feels heavy and the world is deeply unsettling.

A Victorian steampunk RPG with tarot cards instead of dice. Investigate the disappearance of society’s most vulnerable to uncover a mysterious cult. Play as three characters, each with their own skills and motivations. Customize your characters with narrative choices to unlock new tarot cards.

Why similar: Steampunk 57.9% ★, RPG 10%, Story Rich 9%, Alternate History 8.5%, Choices Matter 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: An isometric RPG that leans heavily into steampunk aesthetics and complex, character-driven storytelling.

You didn’t ask to lead this expedition, but here you are. Stuck in the ice, Captain missing, miles from civilisation. Someone has to take charge. Manage your meagre resources, balance safety and morale, make the hard calls, and head in the only direction you can - through The Pale Beyond.

Why similar: Survival 22.8%, Story Rich 15.7%, Choices Matter 14.1%, Exploration 13.3%, Dark 11.4%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the feeling of leading a crew through a hostile, frozen environment where survival and morality are constantly at odds.

1872, with a steampunk twist. Phileas Fogg has wagered he can circumnavigate the world in just 80 days. Travel by airship, submarine, mechanical camel, steam-train and more. Race other players and a clock that never stops in TIME Magazine's Game of 2014.

Why similar: Steampunk 51.8% ★, Story Rich 12.1%, Choices Matter 10.1%, Exploration 7.3%, Adventure 5.7%

Why You'll Like It: A brilliant narrative-driven adventure that emphasizes resource management and the consequences of your travel decisions.

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Why similar: Space 22.4%, Exploration 22%, Great Soundtrack 19.8%, Story Rich 15.4%, Atmospheric 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: The definitive experience for players who love uncovering cosmic mysteries through exploration in a strange, dangerous solar system.

Delve into a role-playing game of horror, loss and madness set in the strange worlds of HP Lovecraft. Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones offers a mix of rich role-playing and turn-based tactical combat, represented in an illustrative visual style. Can you find salvation in a dead world?

Why similar: Lovecraftian 60.6%, RPG 15.3%, Story Rich 4.5%, Great Soundtrack 4.4%, Atmospheric 4.1%

Why You'll Like It: A direct, turn-based RPG experience that captures the nihilistic and terrifying essence of Lovecraftian fiction.

Barotrauma is a 2D co-op submarine simulator – in space, with survival horror and RPG elements. Steer your submarine, complete missions, fight monsters, fix leaks, operate machinery, man the guns and craft items, and stay alert: danger in Barotrauma doesn’t announce itself!

Why similar: Survival 80.3%, 2D 14.4%, Singleplayer 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a tense, claustrophobic experience of navigating a submarine through a hostile, alien ocean filled with Lovecraftian threats.

VOID SAILS is a single-player adventure where you captain a flying ship across uncharted space. Sail through mysterious worlds, battle powerful foes, and make story-defining choices. Uncover dark secrets in a game where every discovery could bring you closer to the truth—or to madness.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 36.9%, Steampunk 21.7% ★, Exploration 8.5%, RPG 7.2%, Story Rich 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the core loop of sailing through a surreal, dangerous void, mirroring the exploration style of Sunless Skies.

Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.

Why similar: Story Rich 31.4%, Great Soundtrack 27.6%, Atmospheric 21.7%, Indie 7.4%, Singleplayer 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: A masterfully atmospheric mystery game that rewards careful observation and deduction in a dark, nautical setting.

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is a groundbreaking role playing game. You’re a detective with a unique skill system at your disposal and a whole city to carve your path across. Interrogate unforgettable characters, crack murders or take bribes. Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.

Why similar: RPG 25.2%, Story Rich 25.1%, Choices Matter 19.6%, Exploration 10.4%, Atmospheric 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Provides unparalleled narrative depth and world-building that rivals the writing quality found in the Sunless series.

Play as an Artificial Intelligence guiding a stranded xenobiologist through a beautiful and mysterious alien ocean. A non-violent sci-fi story, enter a world of wonder, fear and vulnerability, unraveling the history and ecology of an impossible planet. What will you discover together?

Why similar: Exploration 21.2%, Story Rich 16.9%, Great Soundtrack 16.3%, Atmospheric 12.9%, Adventure 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric exploration game that focuses on scientific discovery and alien environments through a unique, minimalist interface.

Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society's survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?

Why similar: Steampunk 67% ★, Survival 18.3%, Great Soundtrack 3.9%, Choices Matter 3.7%, Dark 3.1%

Why You'll Like It: Combines steampunk technology with high-stakes survival and the moral weight of leading a society in a dying world.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is the thematic successor to Planescape: Torment, one of the most critically acclaimed role-playing games of all time. Immerse yourself in a single-player, isometric, story-driven RPG set in Monte Cook’s Numenera universe. What does one life matter? Find your answer.

Why similar: RPG 40.8%, Story Rich 21.6%, Choices Matter 11.8%, Atmospheric 7.2%, Adventure 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: A deep, philosophical RPG that excels at creating a weird, alien world filled with rich, text-heavy lore.

You only have 21 days until this living city dies. The clock is ticking. You can’t be everywhere at once. Decide what to explore, who to meet and see every decision shape the curious stories and terrible secrets of this branching narrative game.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 50.6%, Choices Matter 8.8%, Story Rich 8.8%, Great Soundtrack 8.4%, Exploration 7%

Why You'll Like It: A narrative-heavy adventure set in a strange, dying city where your choices dictate the flow of time and events.

Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is an action roguelite with RPG elements. Explore randomly generated levels based in Lovecraft's stories, fight cultists and all kinds of monsters from the Mythos, improve your gear, solve puzzles, and find clues and knowledge to defeat the Great Old Ones.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 73.2%, RPG 9.3%, Adventure 3.8%, Great Soundtrack 3.2%, Indie 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a more action-focused, roguelite perspective on the Cthulhu mythos and its terrifying inhabitants.

Pilot drones into derelict spaceships to find the means to survive and piece together how the universe became a giant graveyard.

Why similar: Space 23.7%, Survival 22.5%, Exploration 20.9%, Roguelike 20.5%, Atmospheric 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: A tense, minimalist space exploration game where you manage drones to uncover the fate of derelict ships.

Curious Expedition is a roguelike expedition simulation set in the late 19th century. Together with famous personalities you will venture on unprecedented expeditions to regions never explored before for fame, science and treasures.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 48.5%, Roguelike 12.9%, Exploration 11.2%, RPG 8.7%, Story Rich 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: A roguelike exploration game that captures the Victorian-era spirit of discovery and the dangers of the unknown.

A dice-driven RPG, in a human and heartfelt sci-fi world. You are an escaped android, with a malfunctioning body, a price on your head and no memory of your past. Get a ship, find a crew, and take on contracts while you navigate across the Starward Belt.

Why similar: RPG 22.7%, Story Rich 22.3%, Space 21.2%, Exploration 15.7%, Atmospheric 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Continues the tradition of high-stakes, dice-based RPG mechanics in a beautifully realized, atmospheric sci-fi universe.

Equipped with cutting-edge salvaging tech, carve & slice spaceships to recover valuable materials. Upgrade your gear to take on more lucrative contracts and pay your billion credits debt to LYNX Corp!

Why similar: Space 75.9%, Great Soundtrack 12.8%, Singleplayer 11.3%

Why You'll Like It: Captures the blue-collar, atmospheric side of space survival with a focus on the isolation of working in the void.

Moons of Madness is a first-person, story-driven cosmic horror game where the scientific exploration of Mars meets the supernatural dread of Lovecraft.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 52.4%, Space 11.9%, Survival 7.7%, Exploration 7.6%, Alternate History 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: A first-person horror game that blends Lovecraftian themes with a realistic, isolated space station setting.

SKALD:Against the Black Priory is a retro-style party-based RPG set in a grim-dark fantasy world of tragic heroes, violent deaths and Lovecraftian horror. Take a chance and roll the dice as you embark on a compelling story filled with deadly creatures, branching story and tactical, turn-based combat

Why similar: Lovecraftian 42.3%, Exploration 14.3%, Story Rich 11.7%, Atmospheric 9.6%, RPG 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: A retro-styled, dark, and atmospheric RPG that captures the feeling of a grim, tabletop-inspired adventure.

Become the captain of an airship and explore the world of the skies, gather resources and build powerful weapons, uncover ancient secrets and fight beneath your ship's sails.

Why similar: Steampunk 63% ★, Survival 12.5%, RPG 9.4%, Atmospheric 7.2%, Indie 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: Features top-down exploration and combat in a floating, steampunk-inspired world that feels like a more action-oriented Sunless Skies.

Take command of an 'Age of Sail' ship and her crew, exploring a vast, story-filled world that reacts to your decisions. Engage enemy vessels, fortifications and sea monsters in brutal tactical combat, all framed in an art style inspired by classic Naval Oil Paintings.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 52.1%, Survival 11.3%, Roguelike 10%, Exploration 9.8%, Story Rich 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on naval combat and exploration in a dark, fantasy-inspired world with a strong emphasis on survival.

A classic survival horror experience set in a dystopian future where humanity has uncovered a dark secret. Unravel a cosmic mystery, escape terrifying creatures, and scavenge an off-world government facility as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost dreams.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 68.6%, Dark 13.2%, Atmospheric 11.7%, Adventure 3.4%, Singleplayer 3.1%

Why You'll Like It: A deeply atmospheric, Lovecraftian-inspired sci-fi horror game that emphasizes mystery and isolation.

KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway running through the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it.

Why similar: Atmospheric 26.4%, Story Rich 21.1%, Great Soundtrack 20.1%, Adventure 14.8%, Indie 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: A surreal, dreamlike narrative journey that matches the poetic and melancholic tone of the Sunless games.

Command an ancient starship and fight your way to the heart of a dying Empire. Fend off attacks from demented cultists, craven space pirates, and xenophobic Imperial soldiers. Discover powerful artifacts and use them to build your ship into a fearsome war engine.

Why similar: Space 37%, Roguelike 27.9%, Choices Matter 21.2%, Adventure 6.1%, 2D 4.5%

UnderRail is an old-school turn-based isometric role-playing game that features a large open post-apocalyptic world, deep and challenging combat and an intricate storyline.

Why similar: RPG 59.1%, Atmospheric 12.3%, Exploration 10.1%, Indie 7.3%, Singleplayer 5.4%

A lovecraftian roguelike. Dive into procedurally generated undersea caves. Collect gold, upgrade your equipment, and Feed the Deep.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 50%, Roguelike 12%, Exploration 9.7%, Dark 8.5%, Survival 7.6%

Rebel Galaxy is a swashbuckling space adventure, with action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.

Why similar: Space 42.8%, Great Soundtrack 20.6%, RPG 14.8%, Exploration 6.4%, Adventure 5%

A stolen, enigmatic machine is your only way out. It's likely to kill you, but so will the hostile planet you're escaping. Pull levers, hack devices, and puzzle out how to pilot the Nauticrawl to freedom in this unusual atmospheric adventure... or die trying.

Why similar: Steampunk 52.1% ★, Great Soundtrack 11%, Space 8.9%, Exploration 8.2%, Atmospheric 6.6%

Deep Sky Derelicts is an original combination of turn-based strategy and RPG, enriched with tactical card combat and popular roguelike elements. Explore derelict alien ships, fight, loot and upgrade your gear, all in distinctive retro-futuristic comic book aesthetic style.

Why similar: RPG 34.6%, Space 24.2%, Roguelike 17.3%, Great Soundtrack 9.1%, Indie 8.5%

Experience a story-driven RPG where your choices mean all the difference in the world.

Why similar: RPG 38%, Story Rich 21.9%, Choices Matter 20.1%, Great Soundtrack 6.5%, Adventure 5.6%

Roadwarden is an illustrated text-based RPG that uses isometric pixel art and combines mechanics borrowed from RPGs, Visual Novels, adventure games and interactive fiction.

Why similar: RPG 36.7%, Story Rich 19.4%, Choices Matter 12.3%, Adventure 9.8%, Atmospheric 8.2%

Heat Signature is a game from the developers of Gunpoint where you break into spaceships, make terrible mistakes, and think of clever ways out of them. You take a mission, fly to the target ship, sneak inside, and make clever use of your gadgets to distract, ambush and take out the crew.

Why similar: Space 31.6%, Roguelike 26.5%, Top-Down 25.5%, Indie 6.5%, Adventure 3.9%

Dive into a hostile world that challenges your very existence, in this survival horror game with RPG elements. Unravel a thousand-year-old mystery, risk your sanity and face the Outer Gods with your skills. Every bullet and every decision counts now, are you up to the task?

Why similar: Lovecraftian 48.1%, Survival 10.8%, Choices Matter 9.2%, Story Rich 9%, Dark 8.8%

Dark Train is an award-winning steampunk train adventure made of paper. Assume the role of mechanical squid Ann 2.35f that is tied to the railroad machine and deliver the mysterious order for deceased D. W. Tagrezbung, the famous inventor from the Border City.

Why similar: Steampunk 76.7% ★, Dark 10.6%, Adventure 7.7%, Indie 5%

Welcome to the Skyways, caravaneer. Complete missions, manage your ship’s resources and make tough decisions to keep your crew alive and happy. Or not. Choices have lasting consequences in this Text-Based RPG. You are the captain - and the clouds are waiting!

Why similar: Steampunk 52.6% ★, RPG 11.9%, Choices Matter 11.3%, Atmospheric 6.9%, Story Rich 6.8%

Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era.

Why similar: Steampunk 53.7% ★, Exploration 8.8%, Story Rich 8.6%, Dark 7.8%, RPG 6%

An immersive sim-lite in a fictional historical setting. You are on the world's first airship about to crash down and have to find the culprit. Sneak around, break into cabins, interrogate passengers, find evidence - but be careful not to incriminate yourself!

Why similar: Steampunk 56.2% ★, Alternate History 10.3%, RPG 8.5%, Story Rich 8.1%, Choices Matter 7.8%

A Sci-Fi role-playing game featuring turn-based ground combat, space exploration, deep character customization and a massive living universe with thousands of star systems. Equip your ships with the best equipment you can find, gather a powerful crew of mercenaries and set out into the void!

Why similar: Exploration 32%, RPG 23.9%, Space 23.1%, Atmospheric 11.6%, Adventure 5.7%

Something ancient and evil is stirring in Victorian England. Only you can stop it. Journey to the brink of madness and beyond as you set forth alone into the dark.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 62.9%, Great Soundtrack 15.3%, Story Rich 13.5%, Adventure 3.4%, Singleplayer 2.5%

A Victorian Steampunk Roguelite Deckbuilder. Choose from four characters with unique cards and abilities. Customize your deck and character as you investigate a mysterious plague. Battle corrupted beasts and bosses in turn-based combat to unlock powerful relics and enchanted tarot cards.

Why similar: Steampunk 39.6% ★, Lovecraftian 17.1%, RPG 13.1%, Roguelike 13.1%, Story Rich 9.6%

StarCrawlers is a modern take on a classic cRPG dungeon crawler set in a gritty spacepunk universe. Build a crew of renegade adventurers on the fringes of space, taking jobs from megacorps to hunt bounties, sabotage rivals and conduct corporate espionage.

Why similar: RPG 70.8%, Indie 15.4%, Adventure 13.8%

A surreal post-life adventure

Why similar: RPG 24.1%, Great Soundtrack 17%, Story Rich 12.8%, Dark 9.2%, Choices Matter 8.7%

Stirring Abyss is an indie tactical squad-based game with strong RPG elements in which you uncover the ancient mysteries of the depths depicted in the classic vein of Lovecraftian horror.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 70.3%, RPG 11.5%, Roguelike 8.1%, Adventure 3.3%, Story Rich 3.1%

Diluvion is a 3D deep sea, Jules Verne inspired, exploration game with RPG elements and thrilling submarine combat. As the Captain of your own vessel, you must grow and manage your crew as you search for the secrets of the past in a hauntingly beautiful flooded world.

Why similar: Steampunk 71% ★, RPG 16.4%, Adventure 6.7%, Indie 4.8%, Singleplayer 1.2%

Extend your roots, imbibe fresh blood, and expand without end. Roots Devour is a strategic exploration game centered around a card-connecting mechanism. Drive your frenzied roots through swamps and over frozen mountains, invading human cities until the darkness... descends.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 53.7%, Exploration 11.9%, Dark 10.2%, Atmospheric 7.8%, Story Rich 6.8%

In Starless, navigate a space Ark infested with terrifying monsters in this stealth-action game inspired by classic sci-fi. Can you help the colonists survive, or will they be doomed to roam the endless void of space forever?

Why similar: Space 17.3%, Survival 16.8%, Top-Down 15.9%, Exploration 15.3%, Story Rich 13%

Deep in international waters, Tesla’s Helios stands still. An unbound utopia for scientific research, Rose Archer steps aboard in search of her sister, quickly to discover not all is as it seems. A single word covers the entrance… QUARANTINE!

Why similar: Steampunk 83.7% ★, Adventure 7.2%, Indie 5.2%, Atmospheric 2.4%, Singleplayer 1.5%

Kill cosmic gods and their fascist sycophants in a post-entropy future. Become Violence. Become Romantic.

Why similar: RPG 30.3%, Story Rich 23.5%, Atmospheric 20.6%, Indie 8.6%, 2D 6.5%

Experience the quiet terror of this 1-bit love letter to Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft. Navigate a hellish roguelite reality with turn-based combat and unforgiving choices. Experiment with your deck of event cards to discover new forms of cosmic horror in every playthrough. The inevitable awaits...

Why similar: Lovecraftian 58.1%, Roguelike 11.1%, Survival 10.3%, RPG 8.6%, Atmospheric 5.4%

Conarium is a chilling Lovecraftian game, which follows a gripping story involving four scientists and their endeavor to challenge what we normally consider to be the ‘absolute’ limits of nature. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s novella "At the Mountains of Madness", but largely set after the original story.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 77%, Adventure 5.5%, Story Rich 5%, Atmospheric 4.6%, Great Soundtrack 4.3%

A short horror game where you control a decaying spacecraft exploring distant star systems.

Why similar: Lovecraftian 46.4%, Space 22.8%, Exploration 15.3%, Dark 4.7%, Singleplayer 3.8%

Inhabit a deeply-simulated science fantasy world and chisel through layers of thousand-year-old civilizations. Build a character from over a hundred mutations and cybernetics. The award-winning sandbox roguelike & RPG full of robots, deep lore, and sentient plants.

Why similar: Roguelike 21.4%, Survival 20.5%, Story Rich 15.7%, RPG 15.3%, Choices Matter 12.2%

3030 Deathwar is a unique mix of Adventure and Space Sim. Explore star systems, mine and hunt pirates in top-down mode. Leave your ship and switch into classic Adventuring mode, where you explore derelicts, talk to shady characters or head over to the space bar for a drink.

Why similar: Space 28.4%, Exploration 13.6%, Great Soundtrack 13.4%, Story Rich 10.5%, Adventure 9.5%